Whirlweasel by Jkomasan on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

This Yo-kai likes to ride whirlwinds, cutting everything in its path with its huge scythe. Carries spare plasters

Whirlweasel is based on the youkai of the same name, the kamaitachi (Japanese: 鎌鼬 "sickle weasel"). The kamaitachi is a weasel youkai with bristling fur, a call similar to a dog's bark, and most importantly steel-hard, extremely sharp claws shaped like sickles. They inhabit the Japanese inland mountain ranges (most notably Yamanashi, Nagano and Niigata), riding the mountain winds with such speed they are invisible to the human eye. They attack humans by rushing at them, slashing them with such skill that they don't feel any pain until they look down and realize they are covered in blood. Another version of the story tells of a trio of kamaitachi working together: the first one knocks the victim down, the second one slashes them, and the third one applies a healing salve to numb the pain, all within a few instants.In Japanese, this creature gives its name to the legendary "vacuum slash" phenomenon, and is theorized to be another of Toriyama Sekien's inventions, born from a corruption of kamae tachi ("swordsmanship stance").